After taking down No. 15 Purdue at home, Indiana volleyball continued its homestand hosting Michigan on Saturday. Michigan entered the matchup 3-13 overall and 1-6 in conference play under first year head coach Erin Virtue, while the Hoosiers entered 14-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
Indiana came out firing in the opening set led by graduate middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg, who picked up two blocks and a kill in the first four points of the match. Michigan struggled to find its rhythm and was forced to exhaust both of its timeouts early in the set, using the second while down 14-7.
Consecutive service aces from junior outside hitter Kenzie Daffinee and a service error from the Wolverines helped Indiana close out the set, winning 25-10. The Hoosier’s hit .478 compared to the Wolverines hitting .000. Rammelsberg ended the set with three kills, hitting .600 with a pair of blocks.
The second set began with back-to-back service aces from Michigan opposite Valentina Vaulet. Unlike the first set, Michigan controlled the pace in the second, keeping Indiana out of system early.
Indiana freshman middle blocker Ava Vickers entered the match and provided a necessary boost for Indiana’s offense, quickly contributing two blocks and a kill. After two missed Michigan attacks and an Indiana kill, the Wolverines took a timeout down 22-19.
After a slow start to the second set, the Hoosiers battled back and took the set off an ace from junior setter Camryn Haworth. Indiana and Michigan both struggled offensively in the set, ending with eight and six attacking errors, respectively.
Indiana continued to push the pace with its tough serving in the third set. A pair of overpass receptions from the Wolverines terminated by the Hoosiers led to a Michigan timeout down 13-8. Offensively, the Hoosiers hit a scorching .444 in the third set with 16 kills and one error on 36 swings. Sophomore outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles had seven kills in the third set alone, leading the Hoosiers to a 25-12 victory
After her stellar third set, Alonso-Corcelles had a career-high 18 kills on 41 swings, hitting .390 on the match. Rammelsberg also had an efficient night, hitting .417 and adding a team-high five blocks. Michigan struggled offensively, only hitting .050 with three players hitting negatively.
Indiana sits in fourth place in the conference behind the three-way tie for first place with a record of 5-3, after picking up their first back-to-back wins in conference play this season.
Now the Hoosiers will look for their first season sweep over the Boilermakers since 2002. After sweeping their homestand, the Hoosiers will travel to West Lafayette to face Purdue for the second time in a week at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The match will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
Follow reporter Michael Livingston (.@mblivingston_) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
